NASDAQ.com Review

NASDAQ is an association of over the counter stock brokers who transact a large percentage of the financial transactions that take place each day. NASDAQ (an acronym for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation) used to be considered a smaller, less important exchange but today it has surpassed the larger, better known New York Stock Exchange in total volume.

Given the growth and the size of NASDAQ, it should come as no surprise that this association has its own presence on the world wide web. Anyone can enter a ticker symbol for a NASDAQ traded security into a general finance web site and get the latest quotes and financial data. But if you want to visit the site that is dedicated to the NASDAQ, you should logon to NASDAQ.com, the on- line resource for this over the counter market. Let's take a look at the web site for the NASDAQ:

Financial Web Site Commentary:

NASDAQ covers a very large range of companies and the web site is every bit as extensive. Pages in this site load quickly and painlessly. Financial tools abound, with calculators, stock screening tools, stock analysis, and general advice on investing from the people at NASDAQ. Some of the tools are pretty ordinary and basic, but others are more unique and helpful- the type of tools you don't find in many other sites. For example, in the Market Activity section, there is a feature call the "NASDAQ- 100 heat map". This tool lists 100 NASDAQ index stocks in a 10 x 10 table with the companies listed in order of percentage change in price from the previous trading day. Those in green showed the largest increase while those in red showed losses. Stocks in the middle are either white (indicating little change) or various shades of red or green to indicate how well they performed relative to the other companies in the index of 100. If you want to find out more about a company's performance, you just move your mouse on top of the square (you don't need to click- which makes the process fast and simple) and you will see the latest sale for the day; previous sale; 52- week high and low; and even a graph showing the trading levels throughout the last day.

The news in this site is very timely- it is updated as soon as any important financial information is released, including on weekends and other non- trading days. With some other sites, the updating is only done on weekdays during normal trading hours. NASDAQ.com updates information instantly, as soon as it becomes available.

Even though this site is focused on the NASDAQ, you can still lookup stock quotes, financial information, and analysis on other companies that are not listed in the NASDAQ. This was a smart move on the part of the management of this site. They knew that investors are a diverse lot with holdings across a wide range of companies. Had they limited the data to only companies traded on NASDAQ, many investors would find the site to be pretty useless. But never fear: whether your company's stock is traded on NASDAQ, AMEX, NYSE, or any other exchange, you will find it in this site.

As far as financial web sites go, NASDAQ.com is first- class. Most anything you could ever want to know about corporations, personal finance, borrowing money, economic indicators, etc. can be found in this web site. The main page might seem a little cluttered at first, but that's only because it covers so many facets of financial markets.

Bottom Line:

NASDAQ.com is one of the best financial web sites around. Excellent user- tools, great investment advice, unique scanning and screening tools, and timely advice all add up to a very pleasant experience. It's one of the best personal financial sites on the internet today, and I recommend its use for everyone. Whether you're a novice investor or a tycoon with millions in assets, NASDAQ.com will help you meet your financial goals.